Bali’s Mount Agung: What we know

So remember last week when we said the threat of Mount Agung’s eruption was minimal? Well, that may have changed slightly.

Denpasar Airport has been closed and flights have now been delayed as the dense volcanic ash cloud spreads above Bali.

The airport will be closed 24 hours pending further closure depending on the intensity and scope of the massive ash cloud, said the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

agung2

Pak Kasbani, Head of the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation has said, “We don’t expect a big eruption but we have to stay alert and anticipate.”

The exclusion zone around the mountain has also been increased; the volcano’s threat level has also been raised to the highest possible level.

The level was upgraded from three to four, as magma is now believed to be close to the crater.

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The spewing ash has forced several Australian airlines to cancel flights, with Virgin Australia releasing a statement on the delays today:

Flying conditions in Bali have worsened this morning due to the ash cloud from the Mount Agung volcano.

As a result, all our flights in and out of Bali for Monday, 27 November have been cancelled.

While these disruptions are frustrating, we will always put safety before schedule. We appreciate our customers’ patience.

You can check the status of you flight from the Flight Status page on Jetstar.com or via our smartphone app.

We are doing everything we can to get customers moving as quickly as possible. Our senior pilots will make an assessment with the latest information and forecasts from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre and we will provide another update by 7pm today.

Google has also activated the ‘SOS Alert’ on the Mount Agung search results page:

sosagung

Social media is also a flurry following the massive eruption over the weekend:

Mount #Agung eruption ash plume visible briefly between the clouds this morning on Hinowari-8 satellite. #Bali #volcano #Balivolcano #YouStormOutlook pic.twitter.com/4D89pOSIre
— YouStorm (@YouStormorg) November 26, 2017

Currently all flights to Bali are diverting because the ash cloud from #MountAgung has reached Denpasar Airport pic.twitter.com/eHXjrwpoPd
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) November 26, 2017

WATCH: A timelapse video of #MountAgung's eruption shot this morning https://t.co/Pd9Q6yUTEB
(📹: Emilio Kuzma-Floyd, @Eyes_of_a_nomad) pic.twitter.com/n0e1DST4r8
— CNA (@ChannelNewsAsia) November 26, 2017

Alert Raised to Highest Level As Bali's Mount Agung's Eruptions Become S… https://t.co/IUkk5ttgiK
— What? Wake Up! (@whatwakeup) November 27, 2017

Agung’s last major eruption was in 1963 and killed 1600 people.

Have you got flights booked to Bali? Finder.com can help with you information about cancellations, insurance and queries.

Experts can provide advice for travellers on the ground as well as those planning to travel to Bali in the next few weeks on:

Whether travellers will be covered by travel insurance and what to look for in their policy
Whether travellers yet to depart should cancel their trip now
What to do next and in what order

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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